About Fairwater Head

HOTEL HISTORY

The house was built in 1900, as the home of Harriett Briscoe, daughter of the rector of Hawkchurch. In 1882 she had married Captain Benjamin Briscoe, son of the Vicar in Ilminster and sailed with him to join his regiment in Bombay, India. Captain Briscoe was reputed to be the finest shot in the Indian Army.

Sadly, he died of a tropical fever and Harriett returned to Hawkchurch with her three children, bought the land from the Lord Bridport estate and designed her new home on the highest point to capture the magnificent views and wonderful sunsets.

She was knowledgeable about folklore and calculated that the house would be sited on the medieval ley lines, which the ancients believed captured the earth and were a source of benevolent powers.

She named her new home “Fairwater Head”, the gathering ground for the Fairwater stream.

In 1953 Colonel and Mrs Tweed, who was a retired Army Officer, bought the house for £5000 and at that time were offered thirty three acres of land for an additional £3000, for which they declined the offer. The Tweeds restored the gardens and were responsible for much of the present landscaping. In 1969 the house was becoming too large for them and they built a bungalow in what was the vegetable garden and orchard, selling off the main house.

In February 1970 an engineer from Scotland and his wife, Peter and Margaret Fairfield, bought the house. At this point the Fairwater Head consisted of only 9 bedrooms.

In 1972 they opened the house as a hotel and built the East Wing extension (adding 8 more bedrooms) and then the bar extension (this was to enable Margaret to have a living room in their private flat above).  In 1976 they had the restaurant extension built. In 1983/1984 the Fairfield’s sold the hotel to the Austin Family.

In 1984 the Garden Wing was built, bringing the hotel to 20 en suite bedrooms.

Rob & Lauren purchased the property in November 2020 and instantly felt at home in the relaxing atmosphere of the Fairwater Head.  The renovations commenced immediately and are still underway, to bring a fresh & modern feel to the property while still keeping the character of the Edwardian building.

THE HOTEL

Set in the unspoilt Devonshire countryside, the Edwardian country house hotel offers panoramic views, free Wi-Fi in public areas, free parking and an award winning-restaurant.  Situated in peaceful Hawkchurch, the “Village of Roses”, the Fairwater Head Hotel is just 4 miles from Axminster and 5 miles from Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast.

The hotel has three distinct and different room types to suit all requirements, all of which have views over the hotel’s extensive gardens and some with views of the spectacular Axe Valley.

There are fabulous walks close by as well as stunning coastal walks a little further afield, so how could we not welcome dogs.  There will even be a welcome treat waiting for them in their room and we can provide lots of information on dog friendly places to visit.